Downed power line suspected cause of West Marin fire

Sept. 13--A downed power line is suspected to have ignited the 152-acre Irving fire in West Marin that forced evacuations Monday night, fire officials said.

The Irving fire, burning near the Mount Barnabe Lookout at Samuel P. Taylor State Park northwest of Lagunitas, was 80 percent contained as of late Wednesday.

Humid, cool nighttime conditions at the start of the fire gave firefighters the early advantage they needed, said Marin County fire Battalion Chief Graham Groneman.

"Monday night, we were able to put a good initial attack on that fire," Groneman said.

"By the next morning, we had some pretty good lines in place and a pretty good stop on forward progress," he said. "With that, the firefighters were able to take advantage of the time and the fact there was no other major fire burning actively in the area."

September and October have traditionally been the height of the fire season, producing the dry, hot conditions that make for good fire weather, Groneman said.

A total of 83 firefighters continued the fight Wednesday, working with two water tenders, five engines and four hand crews. Crews were expected to work overnight, he said.

Regarding the cause of the fire, "we did release that the fire was caused by downed PG&E power lines," Groneman said. "When the final investigation is complete, we'll have more information."

In an email, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. spokeswoman Deanna Contreras said "the safety of our customers and our communities is PG&E's top priority. ...

"We are aware that the Marin County Fire Department is investigating a power line as the cause of this fire. We're continuing to work with the MCFD and Cal Fire to understand more about the circumstances of this preliminary finding."

Fire investigators have blamed PG&E equipment for 12 of last year's wildfires in Northern California's wine country, including two that killed 15 people. PG&E is facing dozens of lawsuits from insurers that have spent billions settling insurance claims from homeowners.

The fire was reported at about 7 p.m. Monday, setting off evacuation orders for residents in Lagunitas and Forest Knolls who were directed to take shelter at the nearby San Geronimo Community Center. All evacuations were lifted around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Power was initially out for 150 PG&E customers, officials said. About 50 customers were expected to remain without power until 5 p.m. Wednesday, officials said.

Tuesday afternoon the fire was reported to be about 115 acres, but after the use of GPS equipment, investigators who walked the fire line determined the correct size of the fire was 152 acres, Groneman said.

Groneman said that the San Geronimo Valley community recently participated in a community evacuation drill and said he encourages residents to be prepared with evacuation plans.

"It's a gamechanger when it comes to saving lives in a rapidly escalating fire event," he said.

In addition, creating defensible space "not only protects your home, but it protects the community as a whole," he said.

In a statement, Marin County fire Chief Jason Weber said, "This fire highlights that we're in the worst part of fire season for the North Bay.

"It's important for residents to take key safety measures to prepare for a fire such as creating defensible space around their homes, making an evacuation checklist and registering for emergency notifications through Alert Marin."